TORONTO -- As the most decorated Canadian player in Major League Soccer history, Dwayne De Rosario inevitably had to face the "would you like to play for Toronto FC?" question whenever he visited Toronto as a member of the Houston Dynamo.
The Scarborough, Ontario native unfailingly delivered the same answers every time. Yes, he was proud that his home area had proven to be such a booming market for Major League Soccer. Yes, he was pleased to receive an extra round of applause from the appreciative fans at BMO Field. And, yes, he would like to play in Toronto "one day," though De Rosario always stressed that his first order of business was to continue helping the Dynamo challenge for the MLS Cup.
The "one day" turned out to be Dec. 12, when De Rosario came to TFC in a blockbuster deal for defender Julius James and an allocation fee. After two years of giving the same answers, in his official presentation to the Toronto FC community on Thursday, De Rosario was free to express just how much he looked forward to playing in front of his native fans.
"It's a dream come true," De Rosario said. "I think that's the goal of every kid growing up aspiring to be a professional soccer player -- you want to play in your hometown and carry on your career playing professionally at home. Now all the kids growing up have something to aspire to [...] and that's Toronto FC.
"I said I wanted to play for TFC one day and that day has come. It's a proud moment for me not only as a player in MLS but as a Canadian. Hopefully this whole thing will help not just TFC but the national team as well."
Thursday's press conference at the Air Canada Centre was delayed due to negotiations between De Rosario and TFC manager and director of soccer Mo Johnston on a contract extension. That deal was finalized this week, meaning Toronto fans will see De Rosario in TFC red through the end of the 2012 season.
De Rosario's arrival represented a personal achievement for Johnston, who said he had been trying to acquire the midfielder "for two years."
"The process you have to go through is difficult when you're going after a player of Dwayne's caliber," Johnston said. "Up until now, [Houston] wasn't willing to let him go. It was at [last December's NCAA College Cup] in Dallas when we made the final breakthrough.
"What we've brought here today is a wonderful talent, an All-Star. I think he'll help our team immensely on and off the field."
De Rosario brings to Toronto one of the deepest resumes of any player in the league. The 30-year-old has been named to the MLS Best XI three times (from 2005-2007), and has been a member of the MLS All-Star Team in each of the past three seasons. De Rosario, in fact, scored the game-winning goal for the MLS All-Stars in front of the BMO Field fans at the 2008 All-Star Game to lead the MLS side to a 3-2 win against West Ham United.
Even more impressive than his personal accomplishments, however, is the number of club honors that De Rosario has accumulated. He has never missed the playoffs in any of his eight MLS seasons and has played on four MLS Cup-winning teams (two in San Jose, two in Houston). De Rosario is also a two-time MLS Cup MVP, winning the trophy in 2001 and 2007.
This championship pedigree and the ability to deliver in clutch situations are what head coach John Carver fancy most about his new midfielder.
"He's a winner," Carver said. "He's won the championship four times. That experience is vital for the guys in the dressing room. I'm looking forward to him giving that experience and hopefully it'll rub off on the other guys on the team.
"He can open teams up and that's what we need. There are a lot of games in this league that we are very tight and we have a special quality in Dwayne who can open that up for us."
As TFC enter their third season still looking for their first postseason berth, De Rosario made it clear that he expects to continue his streak of never missing the playoffs.
"My goal here is to win championships and win titles," De Rosario said. "That's what I play for and I think that's what the coaching staff and the fans expect. It's a huge task ahead of us but [...] I believe John Carver is the coach that will lead us to the playoffs."
De Rosario thanked the Houston fans and organization for their support, particularly head coach Dominic Kinnear, and said he had a wonderful time playing for the Dynamo. Still, he admitted that even from Houston, it was hard to ignore the soccer phenomenon that was developing in his hometown. The midfielder got a taste of having all of BMO Field at last year's All-Star Game and in international games with Canada, but he is looking forward to seeing the fans' enthusiasm on a weekly basis.
"Being in Houston [and] watching that first inaugural game here at BMO Field was, as a passionate fan and proud Canadian, a great day for me. [...] I want to thank [the fans] for their continued support for myself and for soccer in Canada. They're the ones that make this possible. They're [...] why we have a professional team in MLS, because of the fans and because of the huge, diverse soccer community we have here in Toronto. It's a great atmosphere."
It was that multiculturalism that De Rosario feels aided his development as a young player growing up in the city. De Rosario spoke fondly of his days playing for local clubs and for the Scarborough National Malvern Soccer Club.
"It toughened me up," De Rosario said, chuckling. "I had the opportunity to play with some great talent. [...] Toronto is a great diverse community and you adapt to many different styles from different places around the world and use them to benefit your game. I learned a lot of things in Scarborough and it definitely helped me."
Toronto FC's training camp begins next month in Florida, and De Rosario said he is excited to meet his new teammates and beginning his reign as Toronto's newest hometown sports hero.
"I think John and Mo have put together a great team this year and I'm looking forward to getting the season going," De Rosario said. "I'm proud to wear the red, white and black."
That's the answer TFC fans have been waiting to hear.
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